Book recounts colourful history of Gatineau Park's cross-country ski trails

The numbers tell the tale of cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park, whose history is documented in a new book by author and avid skier, Malcolm Hunter.

The book, The Trail Beckons: 100 years of Cross-Country Skiing in the Gatineau, had its official launch Tuesday at Crichton Lodge, the Rockcliffe Park home of Norway’s Ambassador to Canada, Anne Kari H. Ovind.

Hunter, who skied for Canada at the 1972 Winter Olympics and is a past director of Cross-Country Canada, first skied the Gatineau Park trails in 1957 as a boy. He has been a ski coach and a consultant to the NCC as it expanded the trail network to where it now covers more than 200 kilometres of the park.

The book is published by Burnstown Publishing House and details the history of iconic trails such as Ridge Road and Merry Go Round along with the pioneering trailblazers, Charles Mortureux and Joe Morin. In fact, the trail system long predates the park itself, which was only created in 1938.

The book sells for $25 and is available in select stores or directly from the publisher at burnstownpublishing.com.

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